Women in Boats..and how to become one

[GTom]

It's a catch 22, lack of practice bring less confidence, without confidence one stays away and can't build more practice. One has to break the vicious cycle.

Personally I also feel very logical putting the ladies on the helm: I am usually taller to reach sails/reach out for mooring lines, stronger to handle the anchor, etc.

[admiralslater]

Originally Posted by KimSails

Some of the responses from men to this thread show exactly why many women would appreciate a women-only sailing class.

I was just thinking that

[Thorne]

Some thoughts.

1. It's more about why you want to go sailing than what your sex is.
Do you feel the wind and waves with your heart and soul?
Does the ocean "Speak" to you?
Does it "Call" to you?

Are you looking to join a club that seems pretty cool?
Are you running from something?
Are you running to something?
Are you trying to find something more real in your life?
Is it just part of who you are or want to be?

The sea doesn't really care who you are, or what sex you are. In the end it shows you the same respect you show it.

It is like a mirror that can smack you if you don't display the right skills and respect.

If you are a shouter, it will shout back at you. If you are a thinker you will have a "mostly" thoughtful experience.

In the end, "You Are what you practice".

A singer, a mechanic, a banker, a drunk, a sailor. It doesn't matter what your sex is. What does matter is what you practice, and you have to have motivation to practice enough to get good at anything.

Motivation comes in many forms as the questions above hint at.

I think a trip to an Island paradise to learn anything is a great idea and it sounds like a great way to learn very useful skills. ( kind of a double win )

To want to be a sailor is enough of a qualification for me to think someone is special and worthy of consideration.
( note, I did not say just a boat driver )

It does not require a particular sex, just the right kind of mind.

Speaking of the right kind of mind..... Why can I not remember to put more beer in the refrigerator?

[atlantical]

I see women only clubs as a marketing ploy, most people don't care about who is with them to learn something, a lot prefer male and female, but, with sail training schools all over the place, and all competing for custom, anything a school can do to specialize gives it the edge. Even if only 1 percent of women want to go to a women only school, and there is only one school that does that, that could be a lot of women.

For my own part, I once took up horse riding, I became very good at it, and got to like it (hated it at first and it was expensive) but I had split with my girlfriend, and i noticed that everyone I saw on a horse was a female, had it been men only, I would never have taken it up, and I was so popular with the other riders, but I would accept that a tiny percentage of them, would have liked it to have been women only.

[Pelagic]

Originally Posted by atlantical

.....For my own part, I once took up horse riding, I became very good at it, and got to like it (hated it at first and it was expensive) but I had split with my girlfriend, and i noticed that everyone I saw on a horse was a female, had it been men only, I would never have taken it up, and I was so popular with the other riders, but I would accept that a tiny percentage of them, would have liked it to have been women only.

Lol.... I think Women and Horses develop a special physical bond , especially when cantering, that they would rather not share with men..... Lucky horses!

https://youtu.be/YXhkUHJkDME

[gamayun]

Sigh. This is like arguing about guns or anchors. So very tedious and bias-oriented. It seriously just depends on the person. I grew up as a tom-boy, most of my friends were (still are) guys, my recreational and career interests are male dominated, and yet, I get it why some women are more comfortable being taught and surrounded only by women. To each her own. Who really cares as to "why"? It's sorta like arguing about the meaning of life

[atlantical]

well, they didn't quite look that good at the places I went riding.

[angelfish2]

Originally Posted by Thorne

Some thoughts.

1. It's more about why you want to go sailing than what your sex is.
Do you feel the wind and waves with your heart and soul?
Does the ocean "Speak" to you?
Does it "Call" to you?

Are you looking to join a club that seems pretty cool?
Are you running from something?
Are you running to something?
Are you trying to find something more real in your life?
Is it just part of who you are or want to be?

The sea doesn't really care who you are, or what sex you are. In the end it shows you the same respect you show it.

It is like a mirror that can smack you if you don't display the right skills and respect.

If you are a shouter, it will shout back at you. If you are a thinker you will have a "mostly" thoughtful experience.

In the end, "You Are what you practice".

A singer, a mechanic, a banker, a drunk, a sailor. It doesn't matter what your sex is. What does matter is what you practice, and you have to have motivation to practice enough to get good at anything.

Motivation comes in many forms as the questions above hint at.

I think a trip to an Island paradise to learn anything is a great idea and it sounds like a great way to learn very useful skills. ( kind of a double win )

To want to be a sailor is enough of a qualification for me to think someone is special and worthy of consideration.
( note, I did not say just a boat driver )

It does not require a particular sex, just the right kind of mind.

Speaking of the right kind of mind..... Why can I not remember to put more beer in the refrigerator?

Thorne, your post is one of the best I've ever seen around here. Beautifully written and so very true. Thank you for making my day!

[SV Siren]

If a gal wants to learn, I say take a class or several, or do what my family did when I was growing up, and go and buy one and learn as you go.

When I was a kid, it was my mom who really wanted to sail, it was not even my dad's idea. I found this out 25 years later. We started out with a trailer sailor, and then moved up in sizes over the years. My mom was great, and even though my dad routinely took the helm, it was my mom who was really in charge. If it were not for my mother, I would never have gotten into sailing. My wife doesn't have much of an interest in sailing, but she is willing to go along, as long as things don't get ugly as she puts it.

To respond to a couple of comments, to tell a woman to marry rich, well that just doesn't hold and water with me, my wife makes more than most men, and is VERY capable. She can do anything she puts her mind to...I love that about her. Selling my wife short will only result in you being silently being buried in quicksand, she is calm in her manner, but don't mistake that for incompetence..

Many people approach sailing from many different perspectives, and for many reasons, for me it is something I grew up loving, my wife is into it, because I love it..other's results may vary.

The differences between men and women learning: don't generalize and stereotype....not all men or women learn the same ways...but I will say I have found that yelling doesn't work for either sex. It's much more helpful to explain beforehand the why's, and how's...coming into a tack for example, go through what will happen, and what will need to be done to make it happen, and to be safe, works in the long run...yelling as I see it, is a lack of for-thought and planning usually, unless something has gone south unexpectedly.

Racing is a whole other can of worms..I have see it all, from virtually no conversation of a well oiled crew, to the exact opposite. I avoid the drama, and crew elsewhere, I don't need the grief and stress.

Calling someone out about failing a test, even though she has a Phd....I can go either way on that, let me explain. If she has a sense of humor, and can take it, good natured ribbing might be ok, otherwise, let it go, and be supportive. My wife and I give each other a lot of ribbing about a good many things and it is understood as such.

[Tetepare]

Start em young. My 10 YO girl starts race camp on Monday and won't stop talking about it. Last year was her first year of camp and she refused to go unless I promised to stay there all day. At lunch she told me I could leave (in other words get lost). Talk about breaking a mans heart.

Now we are under power with no sails in a wallowing sea. She's in the V watching a movie.


My lady came with a kayak and quickly fell in love with the sailing life. It's not easy for a single mom with no sailing experience and a kid to find the resources to learn to sail much less buy a boat. But it's all attitude. My love was already outdoorsy and that lit the spark.

[LTDsailing]

We now have a female instructor on our team, Lexi. She is very knowledgeable and has a great laid back teaching style. She is getting great reviews from our students. We don't specialize in 'Women's Only" classes - but if someone wanted one - we can make it happen! Lexi is a great addition to the LTD Sailing team!

[Kentm]

For what its worth I thought I'd bump this thread.

My wife has signed up for this sailing week and is bringing a friend of hers who's husband would like to get her hooked on sailing so he might get her aboard. As much as I've heard men complain about getting their wife interested in cruising, I would think that a week like this would be well worth the time and money.

My wife is brave in a boat and game to go cruising already, met Pam at one of her boat show seminars and wants to get the benefit of her experience.

I'll also say that our first attempt at getting my wife sailing almost backfired on me because of a bad instructor. Lucky for me she is strong willed and would not let him get in the way of her learning.

If a weekend like this gets her on a boat its fine with me

Kent